The Path - General Discussion

[Madding crowd]

I'm glad the show is taking a supernatural turn, it was getting kind of dull. I guess Eddie is seeing these visions for a reason, but not sure why he is chosen to 'see the light' so to speak. I also wondered how he has money to stay in a hotel and fly to Peru. And I love Hugh Dancy, but he doesn't seem quite right for this part. He always seems to be nervous and unsure of himself, and he never seems to be a real leader, unlike Sarah who always gives off a better than anyone else vibe.

I'm guessing we are also supposed to think Eddie's prayers saved the life of the baby. There could be a very interesting show here, but they took ten episodes to get back to Eddie as visionary, and it might be a little too late. I also have no idea why Alison Kemp came back to the compound. I agree that Mary always looks like a Manson follower, they show her too much, and I have no idea what her part supposed to be in this. I was surprised to see Steve still alive and with all of the computers these people have, I wondered why they were not receiving some kind of communication or word from Steve. They have believing Cal in regard to Steve's intentions and whereabouts, yet they clearly neither respect nor even like Cal (They pay attention to his speeches, but I never get the vibe he a real leader to them). 

[millennium]

How did Eddie get from New York to Peru to find Meyer?   I got totally confused in the last 5 minutes.

A pity about the supernatural bullshit because it lends validity to Meyerism, and by extension to other whacko cults.   I liked the show better when it was about a man betrayed by faith coming out of a fog and trying to free his family from those who would enslave them.    The supernatural claptrap was like saying, "hey, guess what, Eddie?  your oppressors were right."

[sjohnson]

But I must strenuously disagree that the dead bird is explainable, especially the way it looked like it had a hood on its head. 

[Boilergal]

5 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I didn't think it was supernatural, necessarily.  That heart issue in infants does heal itself all the time.  I don't know what the deal is with Eddie's snake hallucinations but I'm guessing stress or drug after-effects could be part of it, if they're not somehow even now drugging him.  Or his gut is just really telling him to go investigate the Peru situation in a particularly visual manner.  The owl is easy enough to explain away.  

I had the feeling that it was kind of de-tox hallucinations or something.  Not just the hallucinations, but when he was on the street he looked super disoriented and over stimulated and sweaty.  Drugs put in food or something along those lines, something  that keeps then even so they think they are sober until they come off of it.

The snake and owl were both hallucinations - the snake represents Steve and the Owl Sarah, she said she had seen the Owl 3 times on her walks.  

Thought the same thing when Alison said her husband's journal was just crazy and didn't make sense.

Obviously they keep drugs there - because what's her face slept with the girl in order to get the little squares.

[Madding crowd]

I think the show is about some kind of journey for Eddie and this finale linked back to the first episode and his hallucinations. I do think they are going the supernatural route because of the specific symbolism. Plus, the fact that Eddie said the prayer for the baby right before surgery and she magically was cured. Yes, the vessel could close on its own, but the doctor said it wasn't and they needed immediate surgery. I see no other reason for them even including the story about the baby. 

I would have preferred to just see Eddie struggle to free his family from the cult, but I think adding a possible battle between Eddie/Steve and Sarah/Cal might be interesting. 

[sjohnson]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I meant the snowy owl Sarah saw on her walks.  

Sorry I misunderstood. 

[ribboninthesky1]

I also thought Eddie's hallucinations were the result of being exiled and coming down from some kind of induced state. I expected the twist would be there was never a Steven Meyer, as I had the impression only a few people (those at the top) had ever seen him. Being alive doesn't make much sense to me, although I guess those black market drugs that Alison's husband got from his colleague did their job.  

Ditto on Cal and Sarah deserving each other, though at least Cal has somewhat of an excuse of a really fucked up childhood and parents. The Cal twitchiness made sense to me - dude was barely holding it together, and on top of that extremely lonely.  I think Mary pegged both of them right - they're completely broken and can't be fixed.  

There was the potential for an interesting show somewhere in there, but it never quite got there.  I won't go out of my way to watch season 2, especially since I skipped a few episodes and went straight to the finale.  I figured I wouldn't miss much, and the previouslies would catch me up.  

[Madding crowd]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

The doctor also said they did several non-surgical medical interventions around the same, time, too, which is part of why I think it's just coincidental.  

I feel like they included the FBI agent's baby story to show how a rational, even suspicious person could be lured into these cults, especially in terrible life circumstances.    Not that he joined, of course, but he felt compelled to share his actual crisis and use them for support. 

Yes, but the episode was titled The Miracle which I think infers the baby healing and Meyer healing. Eddie is the catalyst for one of the Miracles, we don't know the other. 

[ElsbethTascioni]

On 5/25/2016 at 11:23 PM, millennium said:

I liked the show better when it was about a man betrayed by faith coming out of a fog and trying to free his family from those who would enslave them.    The supernatural claptrap was like saying, "hey, guess what, Eddie?  your oppressors were right."

Same here.

I'm also sick to death of the Mary/Cal/Sean storyline.

I just can't buy the total lack of communication between the various higher ups. I can't believe that no one is actually keeping an eye on Steve, especially when they're so suspicious of Cal. These people know everything that's going on with everyone, even the people who left the cult, but somehow no one knows what's going on with their supreme leader? I'm not buying it.

[Blue Plastic]

15 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I think that's probably part of their premise.  What is divine intervention and what is just natural science? 

Eddie's dilemma seems to be that he wants to do good things but without the bribery of the afterlife as reward, the fairy tale.  He seems to be about the path itself whereas Sarah is all about those damn rung numbers and the future/fairy tale aspect.  

I think this is a good way to look at it.

Sarah is very status oriented, always throwing around her "rung level" to get the lower level cult members to do what she wants.  Eddie just wants to be a normal family.

What the heck was with that dead lizard, not just the dead bird?

It's very hard for me to tell where people are supposed to be on this show.  They float from one "set" to another very quickly, like Eddie suddenly being in Peru without even a quick shot of him going to the airport or anything.  Yet his scenes in Peru are juxtaposed with scenes of other people I'm assuming are still in the States.

I don't like Mary as a character.  She's been through a lot and that should make her easy to empathize with, but the actress just keeps sadsacking around and acting/looking out of it half the time, then throwing herself at Cal when she can muster up enough energy to do something.  But then I guess that's a problem with most of the characters on this show.  I don't understand what they're supposed to be thinking, what they want, what they're trying to do, anything.  I definitely get that someone like Mary would realistically be messed up and have issues, but she's just SO impossible.  I definitely don't understand what Eddie or the widow (forgot her name) is trying to do, and Cal and Sarah are just repugnant.

[OoogleEyes]

On 4/9/2016 at 10:02 PM, terminalpreppy said:

Wow, i would never have realised that Hals mom was Kathleen Turner has i not seen her name at the start of the show.

 

She was quite the sort when she was younger - with michael douglas in war of the roses, jewel of the nile etc....what on earth happened to her? she is unrecognisable! she was great in the part though

From what I understand, she has RA and needs to be on steroids, which would explain the facial swelling. 

[Grace284]

I started skipping Mary's scenes towards the end and I'm pretty sure I missed nothing of importance. If they scrapped her next season the show would be far better for it.

I'm not sure Steve really is alive. I think he's another 'vision', whatever they may turn out to be. I hope it's not truly supernatural as I thought the show was best at dealing with issues of faith without showing an actual burning ladder - the best episode was Eddie and Hawk's walk towards reality. Speaking of, Hawk was a revelation across the whole series and I was disappointed he didn't leave with his dad, but Eddie was never the main contributor of pettiness in that family so I get why he didn't tell him about his mom messing with his overdramatic teenage love life.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 5/12/2016 at 1:18 AM, Blue Plastic said:

Cal is such a POS and Sarah has the nerve to be mad at Eddie for adultery when he is innocent and she is actually the unfaithful one herself.  I'm so tired of Eddie not defending himself.

So Eddie had a vision of his brother again. So what did it mean?  Vision Brother didn't do much

Just getting caught up now; I too was annoyed by Sarah's nutso reaction to Eddie "keeping a secret" when she and Cal just finished a hot hot hot makeout session that was *this* close to sex.  And IMHO she only stopped it because of what Cal said. So, in this movement, men can't cheat but women can?  

And why does everyone in this movement seem to have visions?  

Otherwise though, I really like the show but I do wish for more consistent writing and characterization.  Gee, wasn't it lucky that Cal had forced Eddie to dig that hole?

[MaryPatShelby]

On 5/18/2016 at 10:51 PM, Madding crowd said:

I guess its ok for Sarah to make out with Cal without being deprogrammed, but Eddie has to drink the green goo and be locked up for two weeks. 

Not to mention that this religion..er..movement doesn't require wearing bras, especially when a makeout session with Cal might be imminent.

[lezlers]

Yeah, I watched both episodes but don't recall the generator or school showers.   Are you guys talking about a different episode from the first two?

[Guest]

I think it's later in the season.  It wasn't related to the natural disaster.

[Wilson Cat]

On 5/2/2016 at 1:43 PM, SoWindsor said:

This show sucks.

I am the biggest Aaron Paul fan but I don't don't like his character or anything about the show. Why is his character so crappy?

Cal is awful. I know he's played by Claire Danes  husband but he is creepy and unlikeable. Doesn't have the charisma you would expect from a cult leader. He's like a weird pervert creep -- not charming and strong like your typical sociopath ha.

ive also always been a Michele M fan -- perhaps because I've been told I look like her but her character is the most annoying character I've ever come across. Ugh! 

The storyline I'm most interested in is Hawk and his muggle girlfriend.

Blech!

You took the words right out of my mouth.  This show not only sucks.....no chemistry between any of the characters, the dialog is trite, the actors seem to be hearing their lines for the first time when the words come out of their mouths, and in spite of all denials this is just a piss-poor knock off of Scientology mixed with every other stupid cult since forever.  It would be a parody, but it isn't even slightly funny.  The only reason I'm watching it is because occasionally I hate-watch a show just to test my forbearance.  Plus I'm working on a hand-stitched crib blanket for my sweet little Etsy shop which requires me to sit and stitch in stretches of an hour or so.  And I've already gone through all the truly awesome stuff on Hulu and Netflix ("Engrenages" (Spiral), "Luther", "Vera", "Wallander", "Line of Duty", "Happy Valley") and sometimes it is enough to just watch something stupid just so I can shrug.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Wilson Cat

[Wilson Cat]

I'm late to this party, but seriously wonder if I'm watching the same show the rest of you are watching.  I am strictly hate-watching at this point, almost enthralled by how truly terrible this show is.  The acting is awful.  The script is a joke.  Not a single character inspires an iota of sympathy.  It is just a ridiculous cult and the actors are inept at even the slightest conviction in their roles as part of this ridiculous cult.  Cartoonish characterizations of "real people" but nothing even somewhat believable about their behavior.  I read "Going Clear".  I know a little bit about the cult of Scientology (and in spite of the producers denials written into the script, this Meyerist Movement is simply Scientology written lite.)  If you want a truly horrific story, read that book.  Or watch the production HBO (I think it was HBO) did on the book.  But this hodge-podge of "we're just a bunch of idealists" then "we're just a typical phony cult" is not cutting it with me.  Have the rest of the haters left this forum?  Because I cannot take seriously anyone who takes this show seriously!!

Edited August 3, 2016 by Wilson Cat

[Wilson Cat]

Guess I'm the lone ranger here in that I find no meaning whatsoever in this show, feel it is tritely written, the acting is blah, and the story is ridiculous and frankly boring.  I have no real idea why I stayed with it for 10 episodes other than it filled up some time while I'm working on a sewing project (hand stitching) and this kept me company.  What I saw was dialog that consisted of deep breathing (Eddie) and sighing (Eddie) and wan-poor-little-me (Mary) and totally uncharismatic charisma (Cal) and plastic-humorless-robotic (Sarah).  Oh, and all the angst!!  Wow these people take themselves and their little world seriously!!  I went from hate-watching to just bored by Episode 10.  Will not tune in for S2.  This show wasn't compelling at any time.  And bottom line.......it was almost a cartoon of depiction of the inner workings of a cult.  How anyone can fall for a "movement" this stupid baffles me.

[DesertCyclist]

Does anyone know how I might find out the instrumental piece being played in the background at around minute 19?  I wonder if it was an original piece -- SoundHound couldn't sniff it out.

[Cigale]

News and trailer for season 2: http://tvline.com/2016/12/15/the-path-season-2-trailer-video-hulu-aaron-paul/

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's second season. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[hincandenza]

I enjoyed the start of the season, even though there were some plot anvils (the death of Steve/Eddie's "tree of life" lightning burn, and some of the inner circle wrongly suspecting that Eddie killed Steve by pushing him off the cliff), not to mention the disappointing episode-ending glimpse of Hawk literally floating which confirms- rather than strongly implies last season- that The Path in fact has some supernatural element.  I say disappointing because while a non-biased dramatic exploration of the inner and public lives of members of a small fictional hippie cult can be fascinating, having them actually in touch with supernatural forces makes it immediately an entirely different kind of story and show.  However, between Hawk and Eddie, it's pretty clear The Movement is going to have a schism between old and new, with the latter having actual demonstrable connection to something divine and led presumably by Eddie with a renewed faith.

I did find myself spending a significant amount of time pondering what the rules are of real estate auctions: like, can they back out when they simply don't have the money?  It seems like Cal couldn't just unilaterally spend every dollar they have plus some, and I thought large real estate auctions required you bring some proof/certification of funds before you were allowed to bid.  I was a little confused too about what's so great about this building, as I didn't remember from last season how Cal found it (didn't he finagle it or some other financial shenanigans out of the rich guy whose son they got clean from drugs/ruined party he ruined this episode?), and it seems they already have people in there fixing it up and getting it ready.  Are they renting with an option to buy, or... what?

Cal has come completely unhinged, almost to the point of absurdity; I found it difficult to even watch his speech because I always cringe at scenes of colossal public failure, even fictional ones.  At this point, the only reason the other "elders" could allow him to continue is if they have also lost their faith and simply don't want to disturb the current rise of the cult with any hint of scandal.  I also don't see a good reason for Sarah to keep Silas' death secret any longer; she already is hating Cal for his other changes and knowing he lied about Steve, and Silas' death on top of that- plus the idiotic bid, plus punching the guy at the friendraiser- seems like it would cause her to at minimum tell her parents and the other 11Rs the truth and that he needs to be shipped off to Cuzco for some blah blah "special project".  I suppose that's the point, but it's kind of a shame that outside of Cal, the Meyerist movement is largely pretty awesome as depicted in-show.

Edited January 26, 2017 by hincandenza

[millennium]

A dismal and uninspired start to the new season.    I watched most of "Liminal Twilight" but it got so fucking bad in the last ten minutes that I switched off with two minutes still to go.   That expedition into the jungle to see Steve's body, and then the visit to the old man who drew a picture ... I couldn't stand it anymore.  Could. Not. Stand.  It.

And as I said last season, adding a supernatural element to this does nothing but VALIDATE these bullshit cults that ruin people's lives.   They peddle empty hoaxes to ensnare weak or lost individuals and that alone should provide plenty of fodder for drama.  But I guess it's too hard to write convincing characters in convincing situations, so The Path throws in supernatural touches which only reinforce the lies these cults perpetuate.   Maybe for the next series, Hulu can do a Warren Jeffs-inspired series in which we see that yeah, God really was telling him to molest and abuse all those women and children.

Aaron Paul should fire his agent.

[DesertCyclist]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

Aaron Paul should fire his agent.

Unfortunately, he's a producer.

[millennium]

13 minutes ago, DesertCyclist said:

Unfortunately, he's a producer.

It's always sad when actors follow up the role of their lifetimes with a gig that just leaves you shaking your head.   Kind of like I did when I saw Jon Hamm dressed as a policeman and clopping around on horseback in an H & R Block commercial today.

[Blue Plastic]

Hated all the dead deer stuff.  Finding it hard to believe that Cal would still be able to "get away with" his extreme behavior.  I don't necessarily mind that a supernatural element has been solidly introduced because it has, IMO, been hinted at since the beginning since Eddie has those visions even without, apparently, having consumed the hallucinogens the group uses.

Hawk and Kodiak should have lunch to talk about their hippie names.

So old Peruvian grandpa's drawing is supposed to be so accurate that you can tell it's Eddie "pushing" Steve off the cliff?

[sjohnson]

Couldn't get through the episode. An Eddie who would keep his mouth shut about his failure to keep Steve from falling is not an Eddie with any comprehensible motives. Undoing the seeming miracle of Steve's rising from his sickbed by having him promptly kill himself in a vain pursuit of the Light not only reduces cancer to a psychosomatic ailment, it tells us that Steve was a True Believer, and that's hard to believe. As of now, the only non-believer is Cal and that's why he's the only true villain. That's the show telling us the problem with organized religion is bad people in charge. This is a very common attitude but I can't believe it. Especially because Cal's badness is proven conclusively by his murder of Silas. The thing about that we have to believe that the number two man in the organization managed to sneak out of Peru while leaving no trace (credit card charge for the plane tickets even? really?); sneak into the compound which has a gate guard for no reason; launch a vicious personal attack on Cal, apparently for the fun of it, instead of just getting together with Bill and Felicia to fire him, and of course decisively perishing at a single blow. (To be fair, the last is at least possible, even if it's far more of a cliche than a probability.) 

To me the interest in the show was how cultists are by and large still regular people and the difficulty of distinguishing "cults" and religion. Lending Meyerism a hint of a valid supernatural may be anchored in the need to hint conventional religion's claim to the supernatural is potentially valid. But I don't find that very interesting. I find that to be obedience, you know, like in a cult.

Done.

[Enero]

I just finished the first episode. So is the cop still a cop? Or is he playing the long game? It's obvious he's lying to the Movement about his daughter dying which is awful, not that he's lying to the Movement, but that he's putting such a lie on his daughter. And did they give him more kids? I thought he and his wife only had the baby last season now he has two other kids. 

I guess we are to assume Mary's baby is Cal's? How is she going to explain when her baby comes out with black straight hair, blue eyes and looking white as a sheet?

Did they drop the Alison Kemp story? She showed up at the gates at the end of last season and we don't hear nothing about her in the first episode? She was one of the only potentially interesting stories from last season. 

I just can't with Sarah and Cal. Argh. They so deserve each other because they're both insufferable.

So Eddie is the chosen one, who didn't call that? But what's up with the tree branding on his back and arm. Of course things are going to go off the rails for him with the folks in Peru thinking the "white man" killed Meyer. SMH. 

This show has about one, maybe two interesting storyline threads, but outside of Eddie's journey which is somewhat intriguing and his son's continuous struggle with the Movement and wanting to take real action, there is nothing else interesting about this show. 

Edited January 30, 2017 by Enero

[hincandenza]

I assume I'm the only one watching at this point, but eh... I still like it.  I think the acting is mostly good, and it's a perspective/topic I haven't seen much of.  But I can agree it's a "treading water" type of show, where I am not particularly attached to the outcome or plot intricacies about the cult, about Hawk's super powers, or the DeKaan evil water polluting corporate antagonists; hell, I just watched this episode last night and can barely recall any significant plot movement beyond Hawk's decision to cut Eddie out of his life (and Eddie panicking as a result).  Eddie's weird hospitalization due to alcohol seems like foreshadowing, that something else is affecting him (and presumably related to him being the chosen son/lightning touched).  Other shows these days outright antagonize the audience with wholly impossible/implausible plot lines based on everyone being profoundly dumb or out of character; outside of Sarah's refusal to toss Cal deservedly under the bus, the behavior/actions aren't that weird.

[Lathund]

I'm still watching, but I think mainly because of what I initially thought this show would be about, which could have been something good. That is Eddie's struggle between losing faith and keeping his family, what he would do to change things. Change things from the inside, or like Abe and Alison be looking to bring the cult down. I mean some of that is what happened, but hasn't exactly been handled very well. Now with the supernatural creeping in, with regards to both Eddie and Hawk, it feels like it's a different thing altogether. I'm not going to talk about leaps and aquatic animals quite yet, but it's gonna take a lot to keep me watching. At this point it's more that I want to like it than actually liking it. Also like several of the actors, just not the material they're given. 

[Guest]

Yeah, I may be out.  I've only watched the first ep and I'm not happy with the supernatural turn.  I liked it being ambiguous and more about the power of faith itself than the power of any cult/religion/movement.  Why would the writers legitimize this cult by giving it supernatural powers, and a founder who recognizes the goodness in Eddie, the one skeptic, then throws himself off a cliff?  I don't want to watch poor Eddie called to lead the nutballs.  

I was rolling my eyes at all the cradling and carrying around of roadkill.  And the digging up of Silas was stupid.  Sarah already suspected Cal of wrongdoing.  His confession wasn't enough?  It's like both of those things were thrown in trying to be weird and macabre or something.  More digging!  More wildlife!  

I too didn't understand the FBI guy's story.  

Dancy and Paul deserve better.  

[Silly Angel]

On 2/6/2017 at 0:16 PM, Lathund said:

I'm still watching, but I think mainly because of what I initially thought this show would be about, which could have been something good. That is Eddie's struggle between losing faith and keeping his family, what he would do to change things. Change things from the inside, or like Abe and Alison be looking to bring the cult down. I mean some of that is what happened, but hasn't exactly been handled very well. Now with the supernatural creeping in, with regards to both Eddie and Hawk, it feels like it's a different thing altogether. I'm not going to talk about leaps and aquatic animals quite yet, but it's gonna take a lot to keep me watching. At this point it's more that I want to like it than actually liking it. Also like several of the actors, just not the material they're given. 

I'm watching, listlessly, although I agree the first season's promise went off the rails halfway through, and now it's this diffuse kind of thing. I can't find the heart of the show--Eddie? I don't like him much, his humorlessness, the new girlfriend, his lame way of rebuilding a post-cult life, his weakness.

And now Things May Be More Than They Seem? Christ on a unicycle, if they all have to do a dance to escape the cult, I'm going to write a very stiff tweet to Hulu.

[hincandenza]

On 2/9/2017 at 9:04 AM, Silly Angel said:

I'm watching, listlessly, although I agree the first season's promise went off the rails halfway through, and now it's this diffuse kind of thing. I can't find the heart of the show--Eddie? I don't like him much, his humorlessness, the new girlfriend, his lame way of rebuilding a post-cult life, his weakness.

And now Things May Be More Than They Seem? Christ on a unicycle, if they all have to do a dance to escape the cult, I'm going to write a very stiff tweet to Hulu.

Hehe... hopefully there is no dancing, but I do agree with you about Eddie.  I'm also getting tired of Aaron Paul's characterization that has him hoarsely rasping half his lines.

[MaryPatShelby]

I'm not happy with the supernatural turn either; my whole interest in this show was Eddie's journey of leaving the cult, er, movement with his family still inside, and it seems like we are heading totally away from that.  Did anyone notice that that drawing on his back switched sides?  When he got into the shower it was on the right, when he was doing Chloe it was on the left.  I suppose that's the supernatural again. And boy, since the beginning I've thought that these people have a lot of sex.

I'll probably watch a few more, but if it doesn't improve I'm done also.

[hincandenza]

2 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

I'm not happy with the supernatural turn either; my whole interest in this show was Eddie's journey of leaving the cult, er, movement with his family still inside, and it seems like we are heading totally away from that.  Did anyone notice that that drawing on his back switched sides?  When he got into the shower it was on the right, when he was doing Chloe it was on the left.  I suppose that's the supernatural again. And boy, since the beginning I've thought that these people have a lot of sex.

I'll probably watch a few more, but if it doesn't improve I'm done also.

I think the first time we see it he was looking at his own reflection in the mirror before getting in the shower, hence the backwards pattern.

I'm through the current episode (S02E04), and it has been focusing more on Eddie leaving the cult, so there is that.

[hincandenza]

I... I'm only commenting because I feel kind of embarrassed for this show's forum. :)  

I'm still watching, and it has been focusing more on Eddie.  I kind of hope he can find peace, even though the show is clearly setting him up- with Cal's falling grace, his own witnessing of the end of Steve, the lightning bolt pattern, and Hawk's own magical fairy powers (I actually thought he'd start floating at the Andrew Bird concert, but he was content to just ruin it with his loud mouth)- to become the next Steven Meyer.  The crack has become a fault line as a few key people are edging out from Meyerism; I also think I heard Kodiak mention in passing to Richard that he's only back to help investigate Steven's death and despite being an elder had secretly lost his faith in the core teachings.

I'm so already done with Hawk's new love interest: she's boring and cliche, from the insulting "boy" thing (she's like what, 22 herself?) to her paint-by-numbers "look at my frankly unjustifiable existential pain!" melodrama.  Naturally, she's a rich kid, although I'm not sure why that led to her mom giving her cult friends $250K?

That Cal and Sarah now know there's a mole should make things interesting for them as well as the world's surliest FBI undercover agent: he should have quickly realized from the weird speech patterns and pregnant pauses that his IRS lady had been turned/intimidated somehow.

[MaryPatShelby]

Maybe so; I thought we were seeing him from the back while actually getting into the shower, but I could be wrong.  Good to know about what's coming up.

[Broderbits]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I'm enjoying this season so much more than the first. Eddie's journey, Cal under suspicion, the arrival of Kodiak, the undercover FBI agent being put in charge of finding the mole: all these things are making the new episodes more interesting than just following the antics of deluded cult members. Speaking of which, I loved the scene with the 2 FBI guys discussing beliefs; when one brought up his wife's faith in a virgin birth, the other one said "But that really happened". Okay.............but you're scoffing at people believing in the Light?

[Blue Plastic]

Why did the FBI mole guy choose that cult doctor to incriminate?  She seems an unlikely suspect. I assume she's supposed to be a longtime member and yet they just disbelieved her and threw her out immediately.  Tough crowd.

Wonder if Hawk will do something to get re-jailed?

I'm tired of Eddie's rasping too. Don't understand his motives. Since when would being struck by lightning cause such a lightning-shaped pattern?

I wondered if Eddie's encounter with Steve was in a dream state but not sure.

[hincandenza]

54 minutes ago, Blue Plastic said:

I'm tired of Eddie's rasping too. Don't understand his motives. Since when would being struck by lightning cause such a lightning-shaped pattern?

I wondered if Eddie's encounter with Steve was in a dream state but not sure.

The lightning patterns are a real thing, called Lichtenberg figures, and can be made on skin, glass, wood, etc.  You can google image search it to find more examples; it's very rare for a person to get them since it requires, well, getting hit by lightning. :)

In so much as you can ever trust a show to not retroactively pull the rug out with some "it was all a dream/vision" retcon, I think there's enough in-show support to confirm that Eddie did fly to Peru, did meet Steve, and did get hit by lightning.

[Blue Plastic]

Okay, well I didn't know that. I thought it would just be more likely to leave a burn.

I don't remember seeing Eddie board a plane, plus the whole scene with him and Steve was filmed in a surreal way IMO. Who sent the dying Steve off to Peru, Cal?  How come he had a hospital room but no attendants?  That's why I thought it might be a dream sequence but I'm probably wrong.  :/

[Guest]

On 2/13/2017 at 6:11 PM, MaryPatShelby said:

Maybe so; I thought we were seeing him from the back while actually getting into the shower, but I could be wrong.  

I watched it twice and thought that's what it was, too.   

[hincandenza]

Argh; this was a frustrating episode.  I felt bad for that doctor who got exiled from the Meyerists because of Abe, but I guess that's why it's a cult; live by the sword, die by the sword.  And while justice does get perverted all too often in our country, I still found it hard to believe that Hawk would be arrested, booked, and put in juvie that fast.  On what grounds was bail denied, and why are there zero protesters about this whole water situation?

Frankly, I'm tired of the people with the shitty drinking water, including upstate New York's most passive aggressive cattle farmer; he's the one that should be in jail for assault with biological contaminants!  Hey asshole, they're trying to help you but obviously DeKaan is playing dirty; why aren't you and the other families outside the police station or courthouse protesting DeKaan having a 16-year-old who threw a rock through a window arrested on "terroristic threats", get some national media attention?  Maybe if you did that instead of moping around like an asshole and stabbing cows, the Meyerists would then be able to help you more, rather than have to worry about their kid being beat to shit in some juvenile hall.  Oh, but poor poor you, no one is just sacrificing their kids and throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars at you to solve your problem!   Besides, if that neighborhood can't come up with $25K (50 families * $500) on their own without the Meyerists help, then maybe the lethal poison killing their livestock and poisoning their families doesn't matter that much?  If your cow is literally churning out black "Alex Krycek" blood, how are you not able to get this national news attention?  Oh, and I'm assuming the sleazy chemist who was practically twirling his mustache is the person who tipped off DeKaan about the new testing- maybe find someone willing to test cheaper who doesn't live in DeKaan's backyard?

Are we supposed to know who DeKaan's kid was?  Eddie implied that he googled and found the kid, but how did he engineer the whole call him/talk to his mother gimmick if he was a complete stranger?

[jonesingjay]

6 hours ago, hincandenza said:

Are we supposed to know who DeKaan's kid was?  Eddie implied that he googled and found the kid, but how did he engineer the whole call him/talk to his mother gimmick if he was a complete stranger?

It seemed out of place as a plot device. It didn't stop DeKaan from calling off her legal team. It was Sarah quitting the testing of the water that did the trick. So, why the phone call? I have no idea. Maybe, it's something that might be revisited. Especially after Sarah got her face splattered by some really unpleasant goo. She might go back on her word or she could just give the guy the funds needed to get the testing done. 

I love the idea of the show more than I actually like the show.  

[hincandenza]

22 minutes ago, jonesingjay said:

I love the idea of the show more than I actually like the show.  

That... is about as succinct and perfect a summation of "The Path" as can be said. :)

[Guest]

I'm out after the second episode.  The party with Cal and Sarah was painful but then Hawk levitating was the last straw for me.  

[Dminches]

I am really enjoying this season.  While the story line is what it is and the cult concept is weak at best, the performances by MM, HD and AP have been excellent.  Some of the best acting on TV.  Cal looks like he is perpetually ready to explode.  Sarah is so tortured.  This is turning into a who-done-it which is interesting to watch.  Every one of the charactors has a secret or 2.

[hincandenza]

On 2/23/2017 at 5:50 AM, Dminches said:

I am really enjoying this season.  While the story line is what it is and the cult concept is weak at best, the performances by MM, HD and AP have been excellent.  Some of the best acting on TV.  Cal looks like he is perpetually ready to explode.  Sarah is so tortured.  This is turning into a who-done-it which is interesting to watch.  Every one of the charactors has a secret or 2.

I agree.  Well, I'm not *loving* the season, but I do like the different story lines and the tension created by knowing something is going to collapse.  Cal of course has too many dirty deeds and secrets to even keep track of; the Meyerists- in particular Cal and Sarah- are being targeted by the FBI which has infiltrated and perverted them; the elders like Richard and Kodiak are convinced Cal is a snake that is poisoning the Meyerist movement (and now are asking what Eddie has to do with it all); Sarah is juggling her commitment to her family and her faith, even as she now carries the burden of Cal's evil deeds and lies, and the possible end to the movement that has defined their lives; Eddie is trying to juggle living in two different worlds, and has some knowledge of Steve that could destroy the cult's beliefs- or cause them to want to hurt him; Hawk is presumably the truest of true believers who is getting in touch with whatever magical forces Steve once did.  The system can't sustain itself, and it's interesting watching how the cracks and fault lines are driving people to uncomfortable behavior.

That said, I'm hating Hawk's new girlfriend.  She serves no real purpose- Hawk's story doesn't need the extra complication between faith and family, and I think the dynamics would be more interesting if he was still pursuing the IS girl- and she's reliably and infuriatingly smug and hypocritical.  Watching her refer to him as "boy" when she's like 3 or 4 years older, or chew out Hawk for the "sin" of simply trying to be compassionate and understanding towards the suffering of others because to her he's descending from a mountain of "privilege"... it's disgusting.  Lady, he may be part of the Meyerist "royal family", but regardless of skin color, your mom is the one that apparently unblinkingly writes $250,000 checks to every cult her deluded little baby girl joins in.  Maybe stow the "privilege" talk when you aren't the child of well-connected multimillionaires who gets free VIP passes to every great musician putting on secret shows in the city.

[hincandenza]

I'm kind of hating the tax bill subplot; it's not that it's impossible or that I don't want them to be in financial crisis... it's that they seem to be doing nothing to solve the problem so it feels like pure, ham-fisted plot device.

There's no indication they've talked to a single tax lawyer that can get them on a payment plan, nor is it clear if they ever even tried to make the city center itself a 501(c)(3), nor is it clear why an organization who at the start of the season was boasting about its comfortable cash and asset reserves is suddenly owing the IRS $232K in back taxes (if nothing else, by purchasing the building aren't they net negative on the year, and due a tax break?), nor is it clear why they have money troubles unless... did Cal actually pay *cash* for the city center?!  That's impressive since they didn't even have enough to do so.  And besides, who does that- you get a loan and use your liquid capital on an investment with a better interest rate return!  God, it's so frustrating how many shows clearly think that no one- including, apparently, Hollywood screenwriters- ever talks to lawyers before making life-altering or multi-million dollar purchases.  There was also the scene a couple of episodes ago when Cal is flashing around a $250,000 check (I thought from Noa's mom?) which is a) more than their tax bill, so I don't what happened there, and b) kind of makes Noa's plea to leave her mom out of it kind of odd, if her mom has already paid this random cult $250K.  

Not to mention the power of numbers: we don't know the exact size of the cult, but let's say there are ~500-1000 Meyerist adults living on the compound and at city center, and a $232,000 tax bill.  So that means each of them has to raise a total of between $200-400, which is hardly an insurmountable task for an adult: donating blood/plasma alone gets them $20-40 a week per person, plus temp jobs/day labor in the city, yard/bake sales, etc could help them raise a good chunk of cash.  Despite right-wing propaganda, the IRS isn't staffed by Terminator robots; as Sarah mentioned, a good faith lump sum can go a long way to getting you on a reasonable payment plan.

 

Beyond those gripes, I still enjoy the show, mostly Eddie's plotline (and maybe it's just me, he seems to be rasping less lately).  I'm not sure where they're going in the short term with this kidnapping plot, but that poor kid!  It also made no sense: how did Richard and Kodiak know to be there, in that particular spot (on the road to a place Eddie had never been), and that Eddie would conveniently stop before presumably anyone else?  We could hand wave it as Richard having a vision from The Light, or more anonymous followers like we've already seen, but that should be more obvious and not some presumed sub-sub-text.  As soon as he stopped I was like "Tell the kid to get ready to speed dial 911 with your current location"; instead Eddie was so dumb he didn't even make sure the kid was even awake while talking to him, which I find hard to believe given how paranoid he's been and with the knowledge he's once again being followed.

I hope that they don't do something profoundly stupid with this, like make Eddie somehow get blamed for the kid being abandoned/missing ("I didn't abandon the kid- I was attacked and kidnapped by my former cult!" "That's no excuse to the LAW, son!") or use this as the all-too-easy way of splitting Eddie and his girlfriend ("I just can't deal with this cult stuff, Eddie- he's my son!") so he can be free to go back to Sarah without guilt or attachment.  I do hope this is that final lynchpin that causes the Meyerists- or at least Cal and the other elders- to get ripped apart.  Tax fraud, murder, and now kidnapping... Abe is definitely going to get that promotion!